Skip to content

IWF vs. MTUM: What’s The Difference?

The iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) and the iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (MTUM) are both among the Top 100 ETFs. IWF is a iShares Large Growth fund and MTUM is a iShares Large Growth fund. So, what’s the difference between IWF and MTUM? And which fund is better?

The expense ratio of IWF is 0.04 percentage points higher than MTUM’s (0.19% vs. 0.15%). IWF also has a higher exposure to the technology sector and a higher standard deviation. Overall, IWF has provided higher returns than MTUM over the past ten years.

In this article, we’ll compare IWF vs. MTUM. We’ll look at performance and risk metrics, as well as at their annual returns and holdings. Moreover, I’ll also discuss IWF’s and MTUM’s industry exposure, portfolio growth, and fund composition and examine how these affect their overall returns.

Summary

IWFMTUM
NameiShares Russell 1000 Growth ETFiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF
CategoryLarge GrowthLarge Growth
IssueriSharesiShares
AUM72.16B14.53B
Avg. Return17.72%17.37%
Div. Yield0.52%0.44%
Expense Ratio0.19%0.15%

The iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) is a Large Growth fund that is issued by iShares. It currently has 72.16B total assets under management and has yielded an average annual return of 17.72% over the past 10 years. The fund has a dividend yield of 0.52% with an expense ratio of 0.19%.

The iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (MTUM) is a Large Growth fund that is issued by iShares. It currently has 14.53B total assets under management and has yielded an average annual return of 17.37% over the past 10 years. The fund has a dividend yield of 0.44% with an expense ratio of 0.15%.

IWF’s dividend yield is 0.08% higher than that of MTUM (0.52% vs. 0.44%). Also, IWF yielded on average 0.36% more per year over the past decade (17.72% vs. 17.37%). The expense ratio of IWF is 0.04 percentage points higher than MTUM’s (0.19% vs. 0.15%).

Fund Composition

Industry Exposure

IWF vs. MTUM - Industry Exposure

IWFMTUM
Technology39.29%15.24%
Industrials6.19%12.47%
Energy0.28%1.77%
Communication Services12.82%13.18%
Utilities0.03%0.19%
Healthcare9.23%6.41%
Consumer Defensive4.31%2.88%
Real Estate1.85%0.43%
Financial Services7.36%34.32%
Consumer Cyclical17.62%9.96%
Basic Materials1.01%3.15%

The iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) has the most exposure to the Technology sector at 39.29%. This is followed by Consumer Cyclical and Communication Services at 17.62% and 12.82% respectively. Energy (0.28%), Basic Materials (1.01%), and Real Estate (1.85%) only make up 3.14% of the fund’s total assets.

IWF’s mid-section with moderate exposure is comprised of Consumer Defensive, Industrials, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Communication Services stocks at 4.31%, 6.19%, 7.36%, 9.23%, and 12.82%.

The iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (MTUM) has the most exposure to the Financial Services sector at 34.32%. This is followed by Technology and Communication Services at 15.24% and 13.18% respectively. Real Estate (0.43%), Energy (1.77%), and Consumer Defensive (2.88%) only make up 5.08% of the fund’s total assets.

MTUM’s mid-section with moderate exposure is comprised of Basic Materials, Healthcare, Consumer Cyclical, Industrials, and Communication Services stocks at 3.15%, 6.41%, 9.96%, 12.47%, and 13.18%.

IWF is 24.05% more exposed to the Technology sector than MTUM (39.29% vs 15.24%). IWF’s exposure to Consumer Cyclical and Communication Services stocks is 7.66% higher and 0.36% lower respectively (17.62% vs. 9.96% and 12.82% vs. 13.18%). In total, Energy, Basic Materials, and Real Estate also make up 2.21% less of the fund’s holdings compared to MTUM (3.14% vs. 5.35%).

Holdings

IWF - Holdings

IWF HoldingsWeight
Apple Inc10.51%
Microsoft Corp9.85%
Amazon.com Inc6.63%
Facebook Inc Class A3.91%
Alphabet Inc Class A3.2%
Alphabet Inc Class C3.03%
Tesla Inc2.45%
NVIDIA Corp2.14%
Visa Inc Class A1.91%
The Home Depot Inc1.62%

IWF’s Top Holdings are Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc Class A, and Alphabet Inc Class A at 10.51%, 9.85%, 6.63%, 3.91%, and 3.2%.

Alphabet Inc Class C (3.03%), Tesla Inc (2.45%), and NVIDIA Corp (2.14%) have a slightly smaller but still significant weight. Visa Inc Class A and The Home Depot Inc are also represented in the IWF’s holdings at 1.91% and 1.62%.

MTUM - Holdings

MTUM HoldingsWeight
Tesla Inc5.63%
The Walt Disney Co4.39%
JPMorgan Chase & Co4.35%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc Class B4.34%
Bank of America Corp3.81%
PayPal Holdings Inc3.76%
Wells Fargo & Co3.05%
Applied Materials Inc3.05%
Moderna Inc2.89%
Alphabet Inc Class C2.84%

MTUM’s Top Holdings are Tesla Inc, The Walt Disney Co, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Berkshire Hathaway Inc Class B, and Bank of America Corp at 5.63%, 4.39%, 4.35%, 4.34%, and 3.81%.

PayPal Holdings Inc (3.76%), Wells Fargo & Co (3.05%), and Applied Materials Inc (3.05%) have a slightly smaller but still significant weight. Moderna Inc and Alphabet Inc Class C are also represented in the MTUM’s holdings at 2.89% and 2.84%.

Risk Analysis

IWFMTUM
Mean Return1.480
R-squared92.930
Std. Deviation14.420
Alpha2.160
Beta1.030
Sharpe Ratio1.190
Treynor Ratio17.10

The iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) has a Standard Deviation of 14.42 with a Beta of 1.03 and a R-squared of 92.93. Its Alpha is 2.16 while IWF’s Treynor Ratio is 17.1. Furthermore, the fund has a Mean Return of 1.48 and a Sharpe Ratio of 1.19.

The iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (MTUM) has a Standard Deviation of 0 with a Beta of 0 and a R-squared of 0. Its Treynor Ratio is 0 while MTUM’s Alpha is 0. Furthermore, the fund has a Mean Return of 0 and a Sharpe Ratio of 0.

IWF’s Mean Return is 1.48 points higher than that of MTUM and its R-squared is 92.93 points higher. With a Standard Deviation of 14.42, IWF is slightly more volatile than MTUM. The Alpha and Beta of IWF are 2.16 points higher and 1.03 points higher than MTUM’s Alpha and Beta.

Performance

Annual Returns

IWF vs. MTUM - Annual Returns

YearIWFMTUM
202038.21%29.69%
201936.08%27.57%
2018-1.68%-1.77%
201729.96%37.6%
20166.92%4.89%
20155.48%9.12%
201412.84%14.48%
201333.19%0.0%
201215.03%0.0%
20112.47%0.0%
201016.47%0.0%

IWF had its best year in 2020 with an annual return of 38.21%. IWF’s worst year over the past decade yielded -1.68% and occurred in 2018. In most years the iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF provided moderate returns such as in 2014, 2012, and 2010 where annual returns amounted to 12.84%, 15.03%, and 16.47% respectively.

The year 2017 was the strongest year for MTUM, returning 37.6% on an annual basis. The poorest year for MTUM in the last ten years was 2018, with a yield of -1.77%. Most years the iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF has given investors modest returns, such as in 2010, 2016, and 2015, when gains were 0.0%, 4.89%, and 9.12% respectively.

Portfolio Growth

IWF vs. MTUM - Portfolio Growth

FundInitial BalanceFinal BalanceCAGR
IWF$10,000$30,58217.72%
MTUM$10,000$29,30117.37%

A $10,000 investment in IWF would have resulted in a final balance of $30,582. This is a profit of $20,582 over 7 years and amounts to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.72%.

With a $10,000 investment in MTUM, the end total would have been $29,301. This equates to a $19,301 profit over 7 years and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.37%.

IWF’s CAGR is 0.36 percentage points higher than that of MTUM and as a result, would have yielded $1,281 more on a $10,000 investment. Thus, IWF outperformed MTUM by 0.36% annually.


Current recommendations:

Over the past years, I have discovered several tools and products that have helped me tremendously on my path to financial freedom:

P.S.: The links below are affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you when you sign up for one of the services. Thank you for your support!

1)Personal Capital is simply the best tool out there to track your net worth and plan for financial freedom. Just their retirement planner alone has become an invaluable tool to keep myself on track financially. Try it out, it's free!

2) Take a look at M1 Finance, my favorite broker. I love how easy it is to invest and maintain my portfolio with them. I can set up automatic transfers, rebalance my portfolio with one click and even borrow up to 35% of my assets at super low interest rates!

3) Fundrise is by far the best way I've found to invest in Real Estate. You can diversify your portfolio by investing in their eREITs or even allocate capital to individual properties (without the hassle of managing tenants!).

4) Groundfloor is another great way to get exposure to the real estate sector by investing in short-term, high-yield real estate debt. Current returns are >10% and you can get started with just $10.

5) If you are interested in startup investing, check out Mainvest. I've started allocating a small amount of assets to invest in and support small businesses. Return targets are between 10-25% and you can start with just $100!

To see all of my most up-to-date recommendations, check out the Recommended Tools section.

Marvin Allen

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *